review

I had such great expectations reaching for ‘A Curse So Dark and Lonely’ mostly because of everyone’s great reviews, and I was really disappointed. It was a really twisted retelling of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ – definitely one involving more blood. The only thing resembling the Disney fairy-tale was the presence of a prince, a monster and a curse. There weren’t any talking clocks or candlesticks, there wasn’t a smart or kind princess and there were too many people – the whole point of the Beast was his loneliness and his isolation from the world. The entire love story was really non-existent, and the curse-breaking was so accidental I almost have no idea how it happened. Additionally, the last character was such a plot twist – it was really unlikely and forced. It’s obvious that the author had a second book in mind, but in my opinion, she should’ve stuck to one. Additionally, the world-building was a little bit unclear to me. What was positive about ‘The Curse So Dark and Lonely’ was the writing – despite its faults, the book was easy to read. I managed to read it in two sittings, even though the characters and the plot annoyed me.

I swear, all the main characters are written strictly to annoy the hell out of me. Harper is such an annoying, non-decision and reckless character, and I couldn’t stand her throughout the book. The continuity of her getting everyone in trouble just because she had to have it her way made me want to properly shake her (or slap her). Grey was a great character, always staying in his role as a Commander, but I couldn’t help but think that he was too stiff? After all that time with Rhen, he was still the same strict soldier – that’s a bit hard to believe. Rhen is a typical, spoilt prince, but it’s clear he is overwhelmed with the choices he made before. While reading the story from Rhen’s point of view, I also felt like his regret was forced – there were too many thoughts regarding his past to make it believable. Despite his dissimilarity to the original Beast, he was probably the best part of this book – the most intriguing one, always calculating and thinking ahead. I feel like I should talk about the enchantress, Lilith, who was a villain in this story. But she was evil to the bone, without any backstory, but as we all know the best villains should have a good backstory. The characters in ‘A Curse So Dark and Lonely’ were meant to be complexed and unorthodox, but they ended up being annoying and every single of their traits appeared to be enforced and unnatural.

The book was either boring or really rushed, and the plot repeated the same schemes all the time – Harper runs, Rhen and Grey follow her, save her and help the people of Emberfall. Rhen fell in love with Harper really quickly – too quickly, considering that the only thing that fascinated him about Harper was her constant rebellion and resistance. I wouldn’t recommend ‘A Curse So Dark and Lonely’ unless you really like twisted fairytales and the main characters don’t bother you.

synopsis

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what’s at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin. (via goodreads.com)

review

That book is a real masterpiece. I don’t ever say that about a book, but I really think that about ‘Daisy Jones & the Six’. Everything about this book surprised me, including the form – it had a form of memoirs of everyone included in the band. At first, I thought the form of writing would annoy me, but I quickly got into it. It was such an easy read, but also a very emotional and heart-breaking one. For the entire time reading it, I felt as if the story was real – I keep wanting to Google the songs just so I can hear Daisy and Billy’s voices. Taylor Jenkins Reid created a real masterpiece, a book that’s going to stay with me for a very long time. I’m really in love with that book, with characters and with the story itself. That’s a real talent – to create something fictional and make a reader believe it’s real.

‘I had absolutely no interest in being somebody else’s muse.
I am not a muse.
I am the somebody.
End of fucking story.’

Daisy Jones was a mess, basically from the first page of their book, yet I couldn’t help but root for her. I really wanted her to be happy, despite all the trouble she kept creating. I kept wishing with each chapter that maybe it’s the one where she gets it together. Billy was a different story though. I’m not sure if I was rooting for him at all – he really had a complicated character, in a different way than Daisy had. Daisy was energetic, while I imagined Billy as a more brooding type. Together, Daisy and Billy had a chemistry that you could feel every time they had a scene together – it was evident every single moment. I love it when authors can create great chemistry between two characters, where you can feel all the emotions, despite the characters never doing anything romantic. I just fell in love with them, and with their story and with their ‘what if’.

I was never a big fan of the 70s – I’m way too young to even remember these times, but ‘Daisy Jones & The Six’ made me feel as if I understood them as if they were just next to me in my room while I was reading this book. Taylor Jenkins Reid showed us a different world of music from what we know today – a world where nothing is tabu, where everything focuses on creating art and good music. The author showed us a true world of rock n’ roll and made us believe we are a part of it.

synopsis

‘Daisy Jones & the Six’ is a story of a band formed in the 1970s, living the rock n roll life. They used to be famous until they split at the absolute height of their popularity until now. Daisy is a young girl in L.A., sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things. Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.
Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend. (synopsis via www.goodreads.com)

synopsis

Darrow is a Red, which is the lowest caste in colour-coded society. He works all day along with his people, making sure that Mars is habitable for the next generations. He does everything willingly, hoping that his children will have a better life than he has. However, soon he discovers that his caste had been lied to for years and that humanity had been living on Mars for generations. Darrow, angered by the lies and driven by his wife’s lost love, agrees to infiltrate the Institute, a ground whether all the Golds can prove themselves. He will have to become somebody else in order to defeat his enemies and bring justice to the world. Even if has to become one of the people he hates.

review

I’m not a big fan of science fiction, usually, I’m more of a fantasy kind of girl. But I really liked ‘Red Rising’, though the world and the rules that govern its society were so confusing for me. At first, I had no idea what kind of world it was all happening in. Or in what time action was taking place (though I guess that’s one of the genre traits). I had no idea how society is divided, all I understood was that the Golds are the highest class and the Reds are the lowest.

At the beginning of the reading, I thought that ‘Red Rising’ was going to be another dull, and overrated book. But around page 150 it surprised me. It baffled me – I was not expecting it to suddenly become so exciting and full of action. I couldn’t put it down so I stayed up reading until 3 am. And even then I couldn’t sleep thinking about the plot. There are a lot of plot twists, and my favourite one involves a certain Mustang and Darrow. My favourite scene of ‘Red Rising’ is the one where Darrow has to learn how to speak and act like a Gold, because his responses are pure gold (see what I did here?)

My favourite thing about ‘Red Rising’ was the characters, especially the main one. Darrow was everything a protagonist should be – he has a great backstory, he is strong, both book smart and street smart, and has a flair for tactics. He is not whiny, he is fast-thinking, and can be ruthless, but also know when to show mercy. I have a lot more to say about Darrow, but that would involve spoilers, and I’m trying to be a better person and not spoil books for anyone. When it comes to other characters, I like how complex they all were. I could never tell what kind of person a character is, because every single one of them surprised me, whether it was with their kindness or brutality. I liked Cassius, yet he baffled me. I thought Mustang was going to be an ambitious smartass, yet she surprised me. I didn’t expect to like Sevro one bit – I thought he was going to be a total weirdo, but he ended up being one of my favourite individuals in that book. So I guess the characters are as surprising as the book itself.

This book is not soft, definitely not. I don’t know what I mean by that, I just know it’s full of brutal scenes, death and ruthlessness. And I loved it. The only flaw of this book, in my opinion, is the complicatedness of the world in which it’s held. But I guess that’s because it’s a science fiction book and not fantasy. I’m still not sure whether I’m going to read the second book, but if I do it would be only to get more Darrow in my life.

synopsis

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister’s ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all. (synopsis via goodreads.com)

This review may contain spoilers.

review

‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ is a nice book to read in one sitting, perfect for a Saturday night in. It’s an easy read that keeps you glued to the story of Lara Jean, her high school dramas, but also her thoughts and feelings. I decided to read the book only after I have watched and loved the movie. Now I think I should have read the book first, because now I’m a bit disappointed in the book (especially it’s ending), even though it was still great. The book quickly caught my full attention, and I spent a pleasant afternoon reading about Lara Jean’s life, and her dramatic relationship with Peter. The book kept me on my toes, despite the fact that I knew the ending – and in some situations, it definitely surprised me.

I liked Lara Jean’s character – she was one of the characters I could identify with, which is rare in the YA world full of brave, kick-ass heroines. She was shy and anxious, but she could also be unpleasant. As much as I like badass characters, sometimes I love to read a book with a normal teenager, who has everyday struggles, just like I do. I could identify with her imagined boyfriends, her fears (especially the one about driving), and I could understand why she acted one way or another.  I didn’t like Margot in the book – she was rude, and distanced from her family. She left for Scotland and instantly stopped contacting Lara Jean, and they were so close before she left. Obviously, I love Peter Kavinsky – and I think it might be problematic because he is so adorable I just couldn’t help smiling when I read about him. Sure, he can be a complete asshole (excuse my language), but he really cared about Lara Jean, and he did so many cute things – it was clear he cared for Lara Jean from almost the beginning. I did feel sorry for him when he couldn’t get over Gen, who by the way is a total jerk. While I liked Josh in the movie, book Josh struck me as indecisive and simply jealous of Peter, even though he claimed he was in love with Margot.

I really liked the small details in the book – for example, the fact that Peter’s friends actually liked Lara Jean, or the trip to the antique sale (it was a really nice touch, which showed how much Peter and Lara Jean enjoyed each other’s company). Also, reading the book from Lara Jean’s perspective made me understand her, and her motives better. I also like how the book gives Lara Jean and Peter time to get to know each other again – nothing felt forced or rushed. The relationship between three sisters was a little bit weird for me – how they can just stop talking to each other, especially how close they were before.

I cannot decide whether I liked the book or the movie more. I like how different the details were – for example in the movie Josh didn’t kiss Lara Jean (which, by the way, forced me to put down the book for a while). After seeing the movie, I felt a bit disappointed by the book’s ending – I was expecting a grand kiss at the end. I really wish got to see Peter and Lara Jean sort out their argument in the book. But it definitely made more excited for ‘P.S. I love you’. Despite the disappointing ending, I think that both the book and the movie are great, and I can’t wait to both read and watch the second part.

via https://www.instagram.com/bookishy/

synopsis

Wszyscy znają koniec tej opowieści. Syrena, książę, pocałunek prawdziwej miłości. Lecz przedtem była trójka przyjaciół – jedna z nich wzbudzała strach, drugi pochodził z rodziny królewskiej, a trzecia nie żyła. Po tym, jak jej najlepsza przyjaciółka, Anna, utonęła, Evie stała się wyrzutkiem w swoim małym rybackim miasteczku. Dziwolągiem. Przekleństwem. Wiedźmą.
Przy brzegu zaczyna pojawiać się dziewczyna niezwykle podobna do Anny, i, mimo jej zaprzeczeń, Evie jest przekonana, że jej przyjaciółka wciąż żyje. Że jej magia okazała się nie być tak bezużyteczna, jak się wydawało. Dlatego gdy obie dziewczyny wpadają w oko – i skradają serca – dwóm czarującym książętom, Evie wierzy, że w końcu ma szansę żyć długo i szczęśliwie.
Niemniej jednak jej przyjaciółka skrywa tajemnicę. Nie może zostać w Havnestadzie ani poruszać się na dwóch nogach, chyba że Evie znajdzie sposób, by jej pomóc. Teraz Evie zrobi wszystko, aby uratować człowieczeństwo swojej przyjaciółki oraz serce swojego księcia, w którym drzemie potęga jej magii, jej oceanu oraz jej miłości, aż w końcu zbyt późno odkryje prawdę, jaka kryje się za zawartą przez nią umową.

o autorce

Sarah Henning jest powracającą do zdrowia dziennikarką, która pracowała już między innymi dla Palm Beach Post, Kansas City Star oraz Associated Press. Gdy Sarah mieszkała na południu Florydy, przeżyła pięć huraganów, co rozbudziło w niej silny szacunek dla oceanu. W przerwach od pisania bierze udział w ultramaratonach, zabiera dwójkę swoich dzieci na place zabaw i spędza czas z mężem, Justinem, który od lat służy jej również za osobistego informatyka. Sarah mieszka obecnie w Lawrence, w stanie Kansas, które, mimo sporej odległości od plaży, okazuje się być całkiem fajnym miejscem.

recenzja

‘Wiedźma morska’ nie podbiła mojego serca, ale była przyjemna do czytania. Poza tym, kto nie lubi nowych wersji „Małej syrenki”?

Początek książki był dla mnie ciężki z powodu narracji pierwszoosobowej, z punktu widzenia głównej bohaterki, Evie. Evie była jedną z tych postaci, które nie powinna być irytująca, ale mimo wszystko czasami czytelnik ma ochotę mocno nią potrząsnąć. Annemette, chociaż miała być, że tak powiem, „tą drugą”, była moją ulubioną postacią w całej książce. Ona, jako jedyny, trzymała mnie w napięciu odnośnie swoich zamiarów do samego końca. Ostatecznie, znając całą jej historia, można zrozumieć Annemette i jej motywy, a nawet wywołuje ona u czytelnika współczucie. Zakończenie historii Annemette i Nika kompletnie mi nie pasowało do sygnałów wysyłanych przez księcia podczas czytania książki, więc miałam wrażenie, że autorka w ostatniej chwili zdecydowała się na takie zamknięcie.

„Wiedźma morska” jest przyzwoitą książką do czytania, choć spodziewałam się czegoś innego. Po przeczytaniu opisu oczekiwałam mrocznej historii o tym, jak narodziła się zła wiedźma dobrze nam znana z „Małej Syrenki” Disney’a. Zamiast tego książka skupia się na nastoletnich dramatach, które dobrze znamy z każdej innej książki dla nastolatek. Chociaż historia Evie i Annemette miała być kolejną wielką historią o prawdziwej przyjaźni, była raczej opowieścią o dwóch dziewczynach walczących o księcia (którego żadna koniec końców i tak nigdy nie mogłaby mieć). Aczkolwiek, kiedy skończyłam „Wiedźmę morską” zostawiła mnie ona z uczuciem, że chce więcej. Mimo, że nie byłam zachwycona tą książką, natychmiast chciałam wiedzieć więcej – czyż nie o to chodzi we wspaniałych książkach, które mimo swoich wad, pozostawiają czytelnika z chęcią na więcej? Dlatego z radością przyjęłam wiadomość, że Sarah Henning napisze kontynuacje przygód Evie.

Książka została mi wysłana w zamian za szczerą recenzję. 

synopsis

Lira is a daughter of the Sea Queen and is determined to prove to her mother that she is worthy of being her daughter. But Lira makes a mistake and now she has to pay for it – she must deliver the heart of the infamous siren killer or she will remain a human (a creature she hates) forever. Elian is a prince, but he is also a siren killer who travels across the sea with his own crew and kills every single of them he can get his hands on. He has no idea who had he met when he recuses a woman from the sea. She seems to know a lot about sirens and she promises to help him destroy siren kind forever. But should he trust her?

review

Where do I even start talking about this book? It was amazing and it was everything I’ve never known I needed – who doesn’t love a good siren story mixed up with incredible characters and a marvellous plot. Lira is one of the best character developments I’ve ever read –  we meet her as a prince-killing siren and, well, we end up with somebody with a conscious. Elian is now on my endless list of bookish boyfriends. But let’s move on into my review, shall we?

I have to admit, at first I was a bit weary. Lira was a terrible human being (or rather a siren, but all sirens were terrible), and I could not see this plot going anywhere. But then I was totally blown away by how Alexandra Christo managed to connect Lira and Elian’s story. I have loved all those connections that came to a conclusion. The story is compelling and it keeps you on your toes for the entire time you are reading it. I felt like every chapter is a new surprise and I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen next. Rarely does a book surprise me, but this one certainly did. At some point, I totally forgot that it was a ‘Little Mermaid’ retelling. Really. This was so far from the ‘Little Mermaid’ as it could have been. It was dark, twisted and I absolutely loved every minute of it.

But above all, I loved the main characters and their chemistry. What am I saying, I also loved the minor characters? Basically, I adore all characters, maybe besides Yukiko and the Sea Queen (they are both terrible characters and I hate them, thank you very much).

In conclusion, go and read that book right now. It is absolutely dashing, I love coming back to it and every aspect of it was perfection. ‘To Kill a Kingdom’ is a perfect Young-Adult read and it was one of my favourite reads of 2018, if not of my entire life. But seriously though, go read it. Like now.

synopsis

Nora’s entire life has been marked with bad luck and horrible accidents. With so much tragedy in her past, all she dreams of is a normal life. But when a camping trip is cut short by a brutal attack and a kidnapping that nearly costs Nora her life, she is thrown headfirst into Avalon—a world where magic thrives, and the creatures of myth and legend all vie for dominance. This is the world of the Fae, and this dark realm claims Nora as one of its own. She’s a Changeling of unknown origin—a Fae child hidden at birth in the human world…

The synopsis is much longer, and the full synopsis is on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40674201-the-heart-of-a-changeling)

review

I have so many feelings about this book! It was completely amazing, and now I am in love with it. I loved how the fae were presented, and the characters were so interesting. For me it was like ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’ and ‘The Cruel Prince’ meets the Darkling from ‘Grisha Trilogy’, and I am here for it. It has been two months since I was grinning throughout the whole book, and I can’t remember the last time the main protagonist made me actually like her.

Nora is sassy and does not take shit (excuse my language) from anyone, even the Autumn Princess and the Winter King. She is fearless, and even when she is scared (which does not happen a lot) she does not show it. And Nora is actually funny, which so unusual for the main protagonist. But my heart was absolutely stolen by the fae – Serkhele and Carrious. Carrious is your typical asshole friend, who actually cares a lot. I am a sucker for asshole best-friends, both in real life and in books. And Serkhele – Oh. My. God. He is absolutely dashing, and I love his cold heart. I think he is my new book boyfriend (boyfriend #3). Serkhele have me serious the Darkling vibe, but without all the psycho stuff (which put me off in the Darkling). Serkhele’s backstory absolutely killed me (in a good sense).

I love how the fae are presented in the book – the world is very well-planned, and I really liked how the author implemented explanations into the story. That’s what I usually don’t like about fantasy books – the worlds are usually too complicated and are not explained well. This was not the case here – everything was clarified throughout the book. The Winter Court is so freaking incredible that I think I now have a new favourite court. Also, I kind of loved all the Shakespeare reference with Titania.

I know it sounds too good to be true, but I loved absolutely everything about this book. I loved all the fae, the world-building, the characters, the plot twists, and I even loved the ending, even though it absolutely broke my heart. I cannot wait to read the second book in the series, which comes out in the spring of 2020 so keep your eyes open for it!

Disclaimer: I was provided with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

synopsis

Nie wyobrażałem sobie, że zostanę gwiazdą rocka. Będąc w college’u, planowałem grać w futbol, następnie dostać się do drużyny ligi zawodowej i poślubić ukochaną z liceum, z którą wiódłbym długie i szczęśliwe życie. Informacją o wyjeździe złamałem serce nie tylko jej, ale i sobie. Byłem młody. Podjąłem tę decyzję, mając na względzie swoje a nie nasze dobro. Mimo że oddałem duszę muzyce, nie zapomniałem o zapachu czy uśmiechu tej dziewczyny. Po dekadzie wracam pełen nadziei, że uda mi się to wszystko wyprostować. Wciąż pragnę, aby była moja na zawsze.

o autorce

Heidi McLaughlin jest autorką bestsellerowych serii: „Beaumont”, „The Boys of Summer” i „The Archers”. Jej powieści trafiają na listy bestsellerów „New York Timesa”, „Wall Street Journal” i „USA Today”. Pochodzi z północno-zachodniej części Stanów Zjednoczonych, obecnie mieszka z mężem, dwiema córkami i trzema psami w malowniczym Vermont.

W 2012 roku Heidi swoje zamiłowanie do czytania przekształciła w pełnoprawną karierę pisarską. Spod jej pióra wyszło ponad dwadzieścia powieści, w tym zdobywająca duże uznanie Forever My Girl.

W chwilach wolnych od pisania Heidi można spotkać na trybunach boisk do koszykówki, z których kibicuje córkom. Pierwsza książka pisarki Forever My Girl doczekała się ekranizacji stworzonej przy współpracy z LD Entertainment i Roadside Attractions. Premiera filmu odbyła się 19 stycznia 2018 roku, a w rolę głównych bohaterów wcielili się Alex Roe i Jessica Rothe.

recenzja

Nie jestem wielką fanką romansów, jednak Forever My Girl było zupełnie inne od wszystkich romansów, jakie kiedykolwiek czytałam. Sam pomysł na fabułę książki był dość interesujący. Autor opowiada historię gwiazdy rocka, która wraca gdzie, aby odzyskać ukochaną.

Bohaterowie Forever My Girl byli jednak jednymi z najmniej ekscytujących postaci książkowych,
z którymi miałam do czynienia. Liam to imię głównego bohatera, owej gwiazdy rocka. Rości on sobie prawo do kobiety imieniem Josie, z którą zerwał ponad dekadę wcześniej. W mojej ocenie zerwanie to było kompletnie bez sensu. Nie zrywa się z kobietą jednym zdaniem, gdy wcześniej obiecywało się jej małżeństwo i miłość po śmierć. Josie, jak typowa bohaterka romansów, jest osobą nieco zagubioną. W momencie, kiedy Liam pojawia się po wielu latach w ich rodzinnym mieście, zupełnie zapomnia o Nicku, mężczyźnie, który wspierał ją przez wiele lat po zerwaniu z Liamem.

Ogólnie główne postacie książki są mało barwne i wyraziste, a pobudki, którymi kierują się podejmując życiowe decyzje, moim zdaniem, niezrozumiałe. Książkę ratują postacie drugoplanowe. Mimo, że wątek Masona jest bardzo krótki, wydaje się on jedną z najszczerszych i najciekawszych postaci w tej książce.

Mimo, że nie do końca podobała mi się fabuła, myślę że Forever My Girl to warta przeczytania historia o miłości, która się nie wypala. Heidi McLaughlin pokazuje coś, co jest takie trudne do odnalezienia w dzisiejszych czasach – miłość dwóch osób, która przetrwała próbę czasu i inne problemy.

W porównaniu do filmu książka wypada jednak dosyć słabo. W filmie bardziej podobała mi się postać ojca Liam’a  jako miłego i ciepłego człowieka. W porównaniu do jego charakterystyki  z książki, osoby niemiłej i złośliwej, wypadał bardziej przekonywująco. W filmie zabrakło za to wątku Nick’a i Josie. Myślę, że ten aspekt ubarwiłby film, tak samo jako ubarwił książkę.

Podsumowując, Forever My Girl nie urzekła mnie na tyle, abym była fanką tego gatunku.

synopsis

In a world where women have no rights, two sisters Serina and Nomi have two very different opinions about their society. Serina is ready to fulfil society’s expectation and to become one of the Heir’s Graces, for which she had been training her whole life. Nomi, on the other hand, thinks that the whole idea of Graces is ridiculous and is a firm believer that women should have equal rights. Nomi is to aid her sister if she was to become a Grace. However, Serina is not the one that catches the Heir’s eye – Nomi is. Nomi has no choice, but to become a Grace. But what’s even worse, Serina is sent to prison after taking the fall for Nomi’s dangerous secret.

review

At first, I was so engaged in ‘Grace and Fury’. I have thought it would be another one of my favourite books, full of feminism and strong female characters. Could have I been more wrong? The beginning was amazing, both mysterious and promising. The first plot twist was also incredible – I was not anticipating it at all. But from there everything went downhill. The part of the story dedicated to the king’s sons reminded me of Victoria Aveyard’s ‘Red Queen’, but the execution wasn’t even half as good. That part felt copied from ‘Red Queen’ and from the first moments I was introduced to Asa I knew what would happen. The idea for the story was genius, truly. The world where women have no rights and are treated as objects? That was an instant buy for me. I just wish that execution was much better.

The characters were promising at first. Two sisters, different as fire and water. One obedient, the other one rebellious. The more chapters I have read, the more flat the main heroines were becoming. Nomi lost her rebelliousness which only left her with being rude and reckless. The author was clearly planning to reverse their roles – she wanted Nomi to be more obedient and level-headed, and and Serina to be the rebellious one. In my opinion, she failed. Nomi did not become more reasonable, she has only became more reckless. Serina, however, lost her cleverness and replaced it with plain rebelliousness when she should have been more level-headed. The heir to the throne was supposed to be a mysterious character – one you cannot figure out. Instead, he seemed like a spoiled prince who changes his mind with just a flick of his fingers. I won’t say anything more since I do not want to spoil anything. I will just add that this story had such a potential for amazing and complex characters, but in the end they were just plain.

I think that a book that was supposed to be about feminism and women fighting for their rights, there shouldn’t be so many parts of the plot dedicated to love. I don’t mind that Nomi and Serina had a bit of romance in the book, but I have felt that it was too much. That they did not have time to be their own heroes, but instead they dependent on their significant others. I just think that in a book that is advertised as a feminist book love should not be one of the main themes. I’m not saying that love is not feministic, because that is bulls**t ,but I was expecting more action from Serina and Nomi.

In conclusion, I was so disappointed by this book! I know that OwlCrate has an amazing taste in books, so I was surprised to find out that this one was also a part of their box. I also noticed that a lot of people love this book so, if you are one of them, please tell me your opinion about ‘Grace & Fury’.

synopsis

A long time ago Ancients had given chosen humans the ability to do magic, known as Nine Energies of Magic. After the battle of Venom, the kingdom of Thurnadan returned to the peaceful times. Or so it was thought. Suddenly, people had started dying because of an illness called the Jinx. The Jinx started killing the population of Thurnadan on a massive scale. The group of people is chosen to lead the mission in order to find the cure to the horrible disease. But does the cure even exist? And if it does, will they manage to find it in time to stop the Jinx from killing everyone?

review

First of all, I want to thank Ruby Fitzgerald and Solider Bear Entertainment for the free e-book copy.

I am a bit surprised that I have not heard about Ruby Fitzgerald before I got this book – her world seems to me like the kind of magical realm that should be wildly popular. When I have started reading this book and I have read the prologue, my first thought was literally ‘That’s going to be confusing as hell’. The prologue confused me and, quite frankly, it discouraged me from reading this book. But the story got better as I read on, and the last hundred pages I could not wait to read. My problem with the plot is that fact that I have not read the first book so I had some plot gaps. The topic of this book reminded me of ‘The Plauge’ by Albert Camus – it also involved a deadly disease that indicated the end of the world and the behaviour of the people that were faced with death. The style of writing seemed kind of off to me, but I guess that is the mater of one’s taste.

What I really liked, was the magic element of the book – Shifters, Grounders, Whisperers – it was a well-written and thought-out magical realm. The book felt like a continuation, but I have liked that about it. I have liked the mystery and slowly getting to know what happened to each of the characters. I have to admit that the book was pretty feministic to me. There is a queendom (a kingdom ruled by a queen), and the main protagonists are mainly women.

There were too many characters for my taste. I think the idea was to do it like George Martin in ‘Game of Thrones’, but the amount of characters was not good for only 242 pages. If the book was longer, I would have time to bond with characters, learn their history, traits. In this book. I have found out bits of their personalities, but not enough to feel emotional towards them. Obviously, my favourite character was one of questionable morals – Xenos. The queen, Eleanor, was a terrible women in my opinion, and a moody one. She acted royally, yet she did not care for her subject the way the queen should. Ryder was too absorbed with Aurora and his hatred for Xenos to be likeable to me. Characters had potential for being great, however the book was just too short for that.

In conclusion, the main problem I had with this book that it was too short for this number of characters and storylines. I’m still torn whether this book should get three or four stars, so if I could, I would give it 3,5 stars.